By Amy Van Veen (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: March 13, 2013
You’ve got mail? You’ve got a hobby.
Online dating is an ever-growing trend. As with any trend, people want something new and exciting lest they get bored and have to look for another hobby – like knitting. Especially since online dating doesn’t come with the same spinster taint as does knitting sweaters for cats.
Just want to meet someone for lunch because you’re too busy? There’s ItsJustLunchVancouver.com. Want to ensure you’re finding someone whose religion matches your religion? Check out ChristianMingle.com, JDate.com or MuslimFriends.com. And now if you are unwavering on your diet selection, you can base a relationship on your pescetarianism thanks to SamePlate.com.
Hold up, you may say aloud while reading this in the stacks. What is SamePlate.com?
According to a press release, this free service, which began in July 2012, appeals to the millions of people who are on specific diets and require their partner to switch to their specific diet, too. Founder Jeff Nimoy explains the motives behind creating this dating service.
“About three years ago I started eating an all organic diet. It suddenly occurred to me, if I ever want to get married, I’m gonna have to find a women who’s willing to eat this way, otherwise, we’ll have to cook two meals every time we sit down to dinner! … I did some research, and ‘incompatible diet’ is one of the top reasons couples break up! So I created SamePlate.com for everyone with this problem … but mostly so I can find a girl who likes my cooking!”
I have a couple of concerns about this idea, Jeff, Emmy Award winning writer for NFL Films Presents on ESPN and Fox, voice actor of multiple anime TV series and second cousin of Leonard Nimoy.
First of all, I didn’t realize that cooking two diet-specific meals was such a hassle or that compromising on food preferences was such a dealbreaker. It’s not something I remember Liz Lemon coming up with in her book, Dealbreakers. And I’m also not entirely certain you want to match people up based on their diets when chronic dieters often switch between things like Atkins, South Beach, Biggest Loser, Master Cleanse, Skinny Bitch and French Women Don’t Get Fat. (For the record, these are all diets that are listed on the SamePlate application.) Additionally, I’m not sure doing away with the complicated algorithms and personality tests is ideal for long-lasting relationships – the likes of which are promised on sites like eHarmony and Match.com.
But maybe people don’t want those empty promises. Cynics, after all, wonder what the divorce rate is compared to the marriage rate these veteran sites offer. Maybe people really do just want to talk about their cabbage soup diet.
There’s no harm in meeting new people or gabbing about grub—unless, of course, you are harmed in an unfortunate online dating scam—but there is no one size fits all when it comes to relationships, in the same way there’s no one diet matches all.
Online dating, dieting, zombie/vampire/werewolf novel writing – these things have become the new hobbies for our generation. And with so many options, it’s a hobby that can continually offer something more to enthusiasts.
